UTV and Smriti Irani to create series on Gandhi

The series will be aired not just in India, but also in the US and Europe

UTV & #BANNER1 & # Television, along with Smriti Irani Productions, plans to create a series on Mahatma Gandhi. It will be a drama series depicting the life and times of Gandhi. The series will be aired not just in India, but also in the US and Europe, considering the legendary leader's popularity across the globe.

While there have been several movies on the Mahatma in the past, a recent one being Gandhi… My Father, this is the first time a television series is being planned around him. The series, according to the official communiqué, will attempt to tell the whole life-story of Gandhi and his incessant search for truth.

Smriti Irani

Ajit Thakur

"Mahatma Gandhi, apart from being a world leader, was also a family man. Though his sacrifices have been chronicled on screen before, we would like to highlight the sacrifices made by his family, a story largely untold," says Smriti Irani, who came up with the concept. The shooting will be held on actual locations to give authenticity to the series.

Ajit Thakur, chief operating officer, UTV Television, says that currently, the idea is in the scripting stage. "Once the script is ready, we will speak to broadcasters in the UK and the US," he says. The series will be made in English and Hindi and will be ready in the next three months.

In India, it will be aired on one of the general entertainment channels. Thakur adds, "A number of epics and mythological dramas have been launched recently. The market is opening up for content like this and we want to leverage that."